Final Project Pitch

            So many people have become obsessed with maintaining their image online, making sure that the people who see their online profiles do so in a way that satisfies them. As social media technology has advanced, so too has the ability to enhance and/or alter the ways a person can make themselves appear to other people. This has led to a widespread “identity crisis” that affects every user of social media in the world, regardless of whether you are viewing or producing content. In today’s social media landscape appearances especially first impressions, are everything. The real crisis however, is that this culture that has developed has led people to actually believe that there is a crisis in terms of their identity when in reality they are just concerned about their own brand. More simply, people are thinking they are experiencing a period of uncertainty and confusion in which their sense of identity is becoming insecure, but really they are concerned with gaining the approval of others.  In response to this rapidly developing judgmental culture human beings have become trained to assess a person’s credibility as a potential friend, lover, employer, etc. based almost solely on how they present themselves on social media. We no longer have to meet a person face to face before having presumptions about their aesthetics, personality, hobbies, who they associate with, etc.

          What I have found through researching this topic is that we live in a society that is dominated by aesthetic consumerism, which is to say human beings are infinitely enamored by photographs. We try to take advantage of this by using photographs to structure our ideal lives for presentation to others. What this has ultimately spiraled into is an ever growing visual culture that is centered on a photograph’s ability to authenticate an experience. This culture has created a type of social anxiety that compels you to take photos any time you are doing something noteworthy because if you do not you are immediately faced with the question of “if there is not a picture, did it really happen?” 

          Additionally, I have been looking into what it is about human nature that makes this culture so appealing and/or comfortable. What I have found is that it is infinitely more comfortable for human beings to interact with one another over the internet because it removes the necessity to have to read and pick up on non-verbal cues of whoever they are talking to. Human interaction requires way more cognitive function than virtual communication, therefore more people choose to limit their interactions to virtual spaces, which ultimately leads to the creation of an online profile and a brand that needs to be maintained

I plan on creating a video that embodies the brand/image/identity issues that social media produces for its many users as well as the consequences of those issues.  The intended message of my piece will be that there is a psychologically charged phenomenon occurring in our society that is causing people to believe that constructing their online brand will shape who they are as human beings. While the audience I am directing this toward is essentially all users of social media, I feel the people who will get the most out of this piece are those who are struggling with their own identity. I intend to “make change” with this video by helping people to understand that they are not defined by what they post online, but used constructively social media can be a helpful means of creating a brand for yourself. I have not started recording yet but I am in the process of writing a general script that will guide my video and casting actors which will consist mostly of close personal friends of mine and once everything is set I will begin recording. At the final presentation I plan to have my entire piece recorded and ready to present.

UPDATE
After reading and talking about Sherry Turkle in class I decided I will use a lot of her ideas on the power of media to take us out of our own lives and hinder face-to-face communication as added inspiration for what I will make my video about. I also bought a more professional camera in preparation for shooting which I will begin doing in the next couple of days.

Bibliography

"Aesthetic Consumerism and the Violence of Photography: What Susan Sontag Teaches Us about Visual Culture and the Social Web." Brain Pickings. N.p., 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

"Is Social Networking Redefining Identity? - RSA." Is Social Networking Redefining Identity? - RSA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"Managing Yourself: What's Your Personal Social Media Strategy?" Harvard Business Review. N.p., 01 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

"New Talk, "The Elastic Self: Understanding Identity in Social Media" - Updates - Tricia Wang, Global Tech Ethnographer Transforming Research, Specializes in China & Emerging Markets." New Talk, "The Elastic Self: Understanding Identity in Social Media" - Updates - Tricia Wang, Global Tech Ethnographer Transforming Research, Specializes in China & Emerging Markets. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"Technology: Is Technology Stealing Our (Self) Identities? - Dr. Jim Taylor." Dr Jim Taylor. N.p., 27 July 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"The Psychology Behind Social Media Interactions." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

RESOURCES:

Canon EOS Rebel T5i DSLR Camera

Final Cut Pro editing software

Youtube (for publishing)